I am an amateur composing making music mixing and mastering now for 23 years. I once wrote this letter to Bob Katz. Never had an answer on it, I send it about 5 times.
Date: 30 augustus 2006
To: Bob Katz
Sender:
Nononsense
The way you are writing a book is not a good thing, it is too complicated for most people.
You are probably thinking that you never had any complaints. But a whole lot of people
don't dare to complain, especially Americans, that's why there are so many homeless and poor
in your country.
I assume that a lot of your readers are professionals but also hobbyists like me, hobbyist have
the right to know things and have a nice hobby without any thinking to do, so they can enjoy there
freetime and concentrate on the music. You are not providing the information in the right way.
I have more than once been confronted with people like you. What do I think about you?
You are a person that links 'self value' to behaviour of 'doing complicated'.
So I think you are a person with an inferiority complex that tries to have self-esteem
by doing complicated. You like persons to come to you so they can ask questions that you
already have answered for a thousand times, you like the attention. You don't see the purpose
anymore of writing a book or answering the questions you only feel the appreciation, you
think you are important. So the purpose of solving problems is no longer the issue, it is the
attention the appreciation that you get that fills your fantasylife.
I also think that it has to do a lot with 'making money'. You proudly send people to the links
where people can buy your book, while the information isn't there, at least not in a straightforward
way. You also send people to the meters that are sold by your website. And of course you send
people to the many articles so that they stay on your website so they will buy your k-system.
A lot of beginners, hobbyists but also professionals are using compressors and limiters too
much (for my opinion I am not using it too much). That also has a lot to do with the low
opinion they have of themselves. I think Bob Katz is one of the persons responsible for that.
Bob Katz should give more psychological information about the people in the studio's, they
have a low opinion of themselves so they try to filter that out by raising the volume, so they
can stand up against the big studio's. But Bob Katz himself has a low opinion of himself and
needs attention because he links 'self value' to behaviour of 'doing complicated'.
What is the result of the inferiority complex of Bob Katz? The result is as follows.
Step 1
People like Bob Katz with an inferiority complex are making books and manuals for hobbyists
and professionals over 'how loud to record and playback and treat compressor/limiters in studio's'.
But the information is described difficult in a technical way and it is very hard to filter out the
information, because the purpose of the book is not providing information but making money
and feeling themselves important as a writer. The books and manuals are written by a person
with an inferiority complex that tries to have some self-esteem by doing complicated.
Step 2
Hobbyists and professionals have the need for information on how hard to record and playback
and how to use compressor/limiters. They collect all kind of information like books from Bob Katz.
Also they read information on the internet and magazines which is highly influenced by people like
Bob Katz.
Step 3
The books like from Bob Katz are too complicated and the information on the internet is too
confusing because only a few people are really understanding all of this. A whole lot of blah-blah
and only little information, so they cannot filter the information properly.
Step 4
They don't have the proper information and that feeds their insecurity and so the inferiority
complex is even more growing.
Step 5
They are really desperate and keep looking for ways to pump up the volume even more
because the competition is going harder every year. So they put the volume louder on the
tv-commercials, they put the volume louder in announcements on tv and radio and they put
the volume louder on the Top 40 noise. And the amateurs are copying this kind of behavior.
Next time you have the tv on in the background and you are irritated by a freaking loud commercial
and want to put it softer right away, you must think of the following......
You YOURSELF are responsible for the explosions on your tv!
YOU are responsible for the destruction of today's music!
YOU have an inferiority complex that keeps you giving information in a deliberate complicated
way so that nobody has straightforward information on how to treat the volumes.
YOU are part of that movement that makes money instead of giving information in a pure and simple way.
Bob Katz is one of the persons responsible for the loudness wars!
Advise
Make a new book that is much simpler, make the information freeware.
Example of the construction of the new book. (the new way of communicating)
Chapter 5: Recording levels
The best analog signal level is: +4 dBu but this has to be taken as average.
What is average.....short explanation.....
A signal begins with distorting at ...level...
A signal begins with noise problems at ...level...
The best signal levels you will find between ...level...
There is an alignment of analog with 24 bit soundcards here you see the table:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pj090367/pdf/db_levels.pdf
The best digital signal level is: ......short explanation..........
The best signal level out of a 24 bit soundcard before getting analog is....short explanation....
It is all that simple, most people don't have to know all the arithmetic behind it.
With kind regards,
Nononsense
